Michael
Nelson
Associate Professor of Political Science
Expertise:
- Law and Policy
- Politics & Policy
Focus Areas:
- US Supreme Court
- American Politics
- Pennsylvania Politics
- Politics
In The Media:
About
- Nelson is an expert on the U.S. Supreme Court, how it shapes policy, as well as how its decisions are impacted by internal and external factors. He can also talk about external perceptions of SCOTUS, including its legitimacy.
- Nelson's research examines the effects of judicial elections, public support for courts in the United States and abroad, and the effects of collegiality on judicial behavior.
- He can also talk about election topics in Pennsylvania, as well as the impact of elections on the judicial makeup. He can also speak to how U.S. Supreme Court rulings, such as the Dobbs decision, can impact elections.
Michael Nelson is the Jeffery L. Hyde and Sharon D. Hyde and Political Science Board of Visitors Early Career Professor in Political Science and associate professor of political science. He specializes in political institutions, with particular attention to state judicial politics and public evaluations of judicial institutions in the United States and Latin America. Nelson’s research examines the effects of judicial elections, public support for courts in the United States, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and abroad, and the effects of collegiality on judicial behavior.
On the Web
In The Media
Here's why a state Supreme Court race matters for the rest of the country ahead of 2024
from USA Today October 10, 2023
Just Ideology? A Study Finds Another Predictor of Supreme Court Decisions
from The New York Times July 22, 2019
"'From a political science perspective, people have been wedded to the idea that it’s ideology all the way down,' said Michael J. Nelson, one of the study’s authors and a political scientist at Penn State."
The Supreme Court’s legitimacy crisis is here
from Vox October 6, 2018
"The Kavanaugh confirmation fight 'directly links the Court to the direct political process,' says Michael Nelson, a professor at Penn State. 'That’s the sort of thing that’s kryptonite for the Court.'"
The Kavanaugh hearings could shape the Supreme Court — even if he’s not confirmed
from The Washington Post October 3, 2018
"When political scientists use the word legitimacy, they’re thinking of individuals’ loyalty to a political institution. People obey decisions from institutions or figures they view as legitimate because they feel that they should, not because they fear punishment if they don’t. For example, when teenagers consider their parents’ authority legitimate, they are likely to return home before curfew — even if their parents might be asleep when they get home."
Brett Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court’s looming legitimacy crisis
from Vox September 24, 2018
“'If Kavanaugh gets confirmed and then hears a major abortion case, you have this almost perfect storm of liberals getting a decision they don’t like and that being decided with two votes from men who were accused of sexual [wrongdoing]' says Michael Nelson, a political scientist at Penn State who studies public attitudes toward the judiciary. 'That seems to be the sort of thing that could really hurt the Court.'”
In Trump’s America, is the Supreme Court still seen as legitimate?
from Salon September 29, 2017
"Leaders take it as their duty to accept the Supreme Court's decisions, but will our political climate change that?"
Trump appoints lots of white men to be federal judges. Here’s why it matters.
from The Washington Post March 13, 2018
"Our new research shows that because judges tend to cite colleagues with similar backgrounds, the demographic and professional backgrounds of federal judges influence the flow of legal ideas throughout the courts."
Related Topic
Related
Topic
Elections
The Penn State community includes a wide range of faculty members and researchers who contribute to an open, public dialogue on important political issues across the state, nation and world. Our faculty often speak with the media on research related to issues that are top of mind during elections.